"Do you think I should talk to him?" Bruce said.
Shiller sighed and said, "You're interested in that thief, so shouldn't you be talking to her instead of ? Go be with whoever you fancy and fall in love with them, got it?"
Shiller helplessly added, "Otherwise, what do you think love is about? Two people scampering around Gotham's rooftops for days and still not knowing who each other's parents are. You're not sleeping with her, you're not dating her, you're clueless about everything. If it were , I'd want to stab you too."
With a pause, Bruce said, "Alright, I'll go talk to her."
The next day, Batman caught Catwoman at an exhibition hall once more. Although he was unfamiliar with Catwoman's past and background, he had a thorough understanding of her habits.
Upon seeing him, Catwoman cursed in frustration and imdiately tried to escape.
But she couldn't shake him off, Batman grabbed hold of her cape. Swearing, she took a deep breath and turned around to say, "Let go of ! You freak! Don't make resort to my knife!"
"Let's talk," Batman said.
"What is there to talk about with you? Don't interfere with my business!"
Ten minutes later, they were on top of the exhibition hall. Catwoman waved her hand in resignation and said, "Alright, alright, my boy, what do you want to talk about? Preach so moral lessons? I'm practically ready to recite your nonsense."
"No, I just want to hear your story," Batman said.
Surprised, Catwoman paused and looked at the bat-shaped ears on Batman's head. "Fine, fair enough for your sense of costu style," she said.
"...I co from the eastern slums, the biggest and ssiest one you know of. My mother was an alcoholic, my father drugged up, but at least I was lucky not to have picked up any addictions. I grew up with an old pitiful woman who used to be a circus perforr. She taught a lot of things. Her temper was unpredictable, and I took quite a few beatings, but I learned real skills."
"When she tried to sell to a slly middle-aged man, I ran away. I was 12 at that ti."
"Later, an annoying orphanage insisted on taking in. I agreed, why not? Later, soone wanted to adopt , but I offended the administrator there. He wanted to abuse , so I stole his diamond necklace and ran away again."
"I t a leader of the thieves, we all called her Lucky Mama. She specialized in training girls like us to steal for her. Having learned acrobatics, my agility and finesse stood out, making her favorite child."
"But the good tis didn't last. That diamond necklace I kept hidden on my person was found by her. You know, it was valuable enough for her to retire on. she wanted to hand it over, but I resisted and ran away again."
"I later t a sister-figure, her na's Maggie, she was nice to . But her boyfriend mistreated her, even threatened to kill her. When he tried to strike her, I killed him and ended up on the run. I didn't want Maggie to be implicated, so I've been living a floating life since then, though whenever I make so money, I'd send so back to her."
"It's just an ordinary story, not very exciting. I guess it can't compare to your own life experiences, right? Big hero."
Batman seed a bit quiet. He asked, "Not exciting enough? Are you sure?"
Catwoman shook her head, saying, "Oh, right, I forgot that you're a pampered young master who grew up in a wealthy neighborhood. In your world, everyone's supposed to go to school and get educated, right?"
"But it's different in our parts. Not one or two students can be found in the whole block. Actually, my mother loved very much, but her addiction to alcohol occupied her more than I did. She spent more ti on cats than on ."
"Neither of my parents were able to afford schooling for . My neighbors were the sa. If one parent was sober-minded, we considered ourselves lucky; at least we wouldn't starve. I've heard about both parents being drunk, resulting in their child crawling onto the stove and dying from burns."
"Well, people like us have similar upbringing stories. The lucky ones, like , learn a craft. The best outco would be to work for the Mob. If we could even beco a card dealer at a casino, it would be such a respectable job. Maggie's boyfriend was a casino doorman, he was very popular, with many bar ladies vying for his attention."
"Actually, Lucky Mama was quite good to sotis, acting like a real mother when I stole a lot of jewels for her. She would complint , even give candy. Of course, she'd beat or scold the kids who couldn't steal anything. But in my opinion, they were just young, a few more years of practice and they'd be on par."
Speaking in her light-hearted and lively tone, Catwoman sketched that life and actually made it seem interesting.
Like when she first practiced acrobatics and fell off a roof, hitting a man who had just stolen several dollars from soone else. That money ended up with Catwoman, who used it to buy food for her mom's cat and even earned a kiss from her mom.
Batman remained silent throughout, calmly listening. As Catwoman spoke, she stopped and looked at Batman, saying, "Okay, okay, I know you must be disappointed by this story. I don't have any exciting college life story, I don't understand your career goals. We're two people from completely different worlds. Wealthy people like you must have no interest in slum life, right? It sounds ssy, dirty, and disorganized."
In a sowhat low voice, Batman said, "No, it's the most interesting story I've ever heard."
Raising her eyebrows, Catwoman said, "You're quite the charr. I'm even a little embarrassed now, but actually, I'm also quite happy. After all, not many people are willing to listen to talking about such things. Maggie cannot go out much due to her health. When we chat, she prefers to hear my escapades in the wealthy districts, the stories about those rich ladies, what dresses they wear, and their necklaces."
Batman asked, "Are you that fond of gems?"
"I knew you'd ask that." Catwoman winked.
"At first, it was just because these jewels could give better treatnt from Lucky Mama, I didn't want to get beaten."
"But it was only when Lucky Mama asked for the diamond necklace that I realized, I was drawn to their natural glitter, not their money value. The idea of Lucky Mama selling these precious gems for cash was heartbreaking."
"That captivating shimr, especially under the light, are the most beautiful things in the world! My lifelong dream is to have a gigantic castle, filled with all these beautiful gemstones..." Catwoman's tone beca lighter and chirpier as if ready to bubble up with joy.
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